The Perfect Word

Mark Dunagan
05/22/11 - Sunday Morning

 

The Perfect Word

Through the ages men have had various things to say about the Bible, but I am far more interested in what God says about His revelation to mankind.

It is Accessible to Man

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach" (Deuteronomy 30:11).

It is Understandable

"When you read you can understand" (Ephesians 3:4).

It is Clear

To young men (Psalm 119:9), to kings (119:46), to children (Deuteronomy 6:7), and even to those who just fell off the turnip truck (Psalm 19:7).

It is Doable

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you" (Deuteronomy 30:11).

It is Settled

"Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89).

It Brings Freedom in Our Lives

"So I will keep Thy law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty" (Psalm 119:44-45). "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

It is Preoccupied with Our Best Interest

"So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is this day" (Deuteronomy 6:24).

It Works

"The truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). "And profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction" (2 Timothy 3:16).

It Covers All the Bases

"Thy commandment is exceedingly broad" (Psalm 119:96). "That the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17).

His Commands Make Sense

"For I believe in Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:66). "Therefore I esteem right all Thy precepts concerning everything" (Psalm 119:128).

These verses infer that we can actually understand the reasoning or see the wisdom behind what we are commanded to do or not to do. After all, I really couldn't "esteem something right" if I was not able to understand it or if it did not make any sense.

They are Wise, and are not Silly or Embarrassing

"I am not ashamed of the gospel" (Romans 1:16).

They are Not Overwhelming

"When I look upon all Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:6). "I esteem right all Thy precepts" (Psalm 119:128).

Each of us can see "all" of God's commandments. Therefore, God's commandments are not unlimited in number, in fact, it would appear that the actual number is a number that the average person could read, understand, and remember. We are not talking about volume after volume of commandments and neither are we talking about so many commandments that we will end up forgetting half of them by the time we have read or understood the last one.

People Who Love God Love His Commandments

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3).

We can keep not merely one or a few of His commandments, but we can actually keep whatever commandments are placed upon us by our God. In addition, those who love God will naturally want to keep His commandments. This means that any objection, argument, complaint or attempt to avoid keeping His commandments is clear evidence that the motivation in a person's heart for being religious is something other than a love for God. John faced what we often face today: people who seem to be very spiritual, yet downplay the need to obey His word. "Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has been perfected" (1 John 2:5). The Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us that the real test, the real evidence of being spiritual, the real proof of genuine love, is obeying God (John 14:15). The real test is not merely what one says, and neither is it the many humanitarian plans or causes into which they might throw themselves. Rather, the real measure of spirituality is if they keep God's commandments. The Holy Spirit is clear: Anyone who gushes about God or Jesus and yet downplays the need to obey Jesus' specific and precise commands - is a fake (1 John 2:4).

They Do Not Add A Burden To My Life

"And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). The idea of "burdensome" here is the concept of something hard to keep, grievous, difficult to fulfill, or irksome. I would equally add that God's commandments are not unpleasant, they don't leave a bad taste in your mouth, and they do not demand too much of a person. In fact, many of His commands are very enjoyable, for example loving one's wife. In like manner, Jesus spoke of the requirements and responsibilities He placed on people as being "light" and "easy" (Matthew 11:30). The only burdensome commands that He mentioned were those imposed by men (Matthew 23:4 "They tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders").

So Few Regulations

Sadly, some people are under the impression that the Christian life is filled with rules, and the truth is that God has left a lot of things, when it comes to details or specifics, completely unregulated. For example:

• There are no regulations about how or when to sleep. No official sleeping position or bedtime.
• Virtually no food laws (1 Timothy 4:4), the only restriction would be against eating blood (which is, of course, logical - Acts 15:20), against gluttony, and against being offensive in eating something that might cause a brother to stumble (Romans 14), and against creating additional religious food laws (1 Timothy 4:3). Nothing is said about how animals are to be killed, processed, or how vegetables are to be washed. There is no official market or type of meat that I must buy.
• Someone might say, "Okay, but what about all the rules that govern something like baptism or prayer?" Actually, there are not many rules that govern either of these things.
• Baptism is to be in water (Acts 10:48), must be preceded by faith, repentance and confession (Acts 2:38; 8:36-37). It is immersion (Acts 8:38) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and to be done as soon as the person being baptized is prepared to give his or her life to God's service (Acts 22:16). Other than that, there are not that many rules. No official person does all the baptizing, and there is no official place or time, no official water or elaborate ceremony with scripted words.
• Concerning prayer, many of the rules that govern prayer are rather obvious. For example, one must pay attention when praying (Colossians 4:2). One must believe that God will hear and that He has the ability to do something about a given request (James 1:6). I obviously cannot be praying to God while rebelling against Him at the same time (Proverbs 15:29). At the same time there is no official prayer position, no scripted prayers that must be recited or remembered, and no official prayer times.

All of this becomes rather apparent when having a class with a new convert. The material in many of those classes can be condensed down to a couple of pages when it comes to subjects such as prayer, Bible study, faithfully attending worship, the Lord's Supper, qualifications and work of elders and deacons, and so on.

• Even when it comes to marriage, I find that the rules are often brief, concise and obvious. I must continue to love the woman I marry (1 Peter 3:7). I certainly cannot marry someone who is already married to someone else (Romans 7:3)! I cannot divorce my wife for any cause, and remarry someone else, and call it "good" (Matthew 19:9). There is only one cause to divorce with the right to remarriage, and is sexual unfaithfulness (Matthew 5:32). If I ignore these rules and stubbornly go ahead and do what the verses say to not do, I cannot remain in that state of rebellion and be right with God (Mark 6:18). In addition, plenty of room is left for my choice. I am not forced to marry someone against my will. Neither does the Bible describe the official wedding ceremony.There is no script.

If you are still unconvinced, then simply compare a set of regulations in Scripture, such as Ephesians 4:25-32, with your life insurance policy, health insurance policy, or house insurance policy, or the set of regulations that govern your particular business or profession, or the rules or regulations listed on any state, local or federal government website.

Praise God for the beautiful simplicity of His word, and the joy it adds to every corner of our lives when we walk within the wisdom of its boundaries. 

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net